Steinholdt (STINE-holdt)

Synopsis

Steinholdt is a city in the northern mountains founded in what was once a mining colony by the survivors of the fall of Degaz. Though only just over a century old, its highly organized authoritarian meritocratic government has seen it boom into a Sovereignty of considerable size and power, despite its harsh location. It has become Ashal’s chief supplier of metals and a main hub for skilled blacksmiths. The city is populated by hardworking and dedicated citizens who know their station is limited only by their drive and ability to climb the ranks.

Government

Founded under the martial law of the former Degaz City Guard, the population formalized itself as a military stratocracy in the years following the crisis. Though formerly ruled by a monarch in Degaz, the confusion left in the wake of the last king’s assassination had left the nation in turmoil that contributed to its fall during the crisis. The complete intermeshing of the Sovereignty’s military with its government has allowed Steinholdt to not only survive but flourish in its dangerous and near inhospitable climate.
Every aspect of the city’s government is managed by a branch of its military with the position of Head of State and Commander in Chief being one and the same, known as the First Officer. This system forms rigid and clear lines of succession for each and every role and responsibility. Promotions are granted on the merit of the individual. Meaning, in theory, the most capable rise to the positions where they are needed most.

Fashions and Aesthetics

First and foremost, the people of Steinholdt value practicality. Textiles are judged by their durability rather than appearance. Wools, furs, and other hardy fabrics are prized above ones like linen and silk. Outside of heraldic purposes (usually involving Steinholdt’s blue, white, and silver) little stock is put into colouring one's clothes. Particularly bright colours are seen as extravagant and wasteful, but while deemed odd, are not necessarily taboo. Men and women dress alike favouring more simple belted tunics and pants unless otherwise dictated by their role or rank.
Steinholdters place more weight in the condition of one’s attire and equipment than anything else. Shiny, unmarred armour tells them the wearer is inexperienced, and an unstained smiths apron does not speak kindly to the time they spend at their craft. Items left in disrepair say no better, indicating carelessness or laziness. Well used but well maintained attire is the fashion in Steinholdt.

Common Faiths

Several faiths maintain temples within the walls of Steinholdt to some degree. While it is not uncommon for a Steinholdter to frequent a temple or offer a god worship, it is rarer for them to take up the life of a cleric than those of other cities, often seeing it as a division of loyalty between the City and God.
First among the gods openly worshiped are the twins Ashia and Ilyia. Located in The Deeps near the confluence of two rivers of magma, the temple to the dyadic sisters enjoys a robust congregation of the craftsmen and labourers who toil away tirelessly in the district. They have even adopted a flame wreathed hammer as a personal icon of the temple and its supporters.
As is most of the Sovereignties, the followers of Eogyne keep a temple to tend to the needs of the dead and preside over burial rights when desired. Steinholdt’s temple works closely with the logistics wing of the Steel Guard to help facilitate the transportation of bodies to their final resting place in the mountain side mausoleums.
The Temple of Urias in Steinholdt occupies a contentious role. The Sun God’s domains of law, order, and strength in unity would appear at a glance, to align perfectly with that of the people of the city. However, it is common for the authoritarian chain of command in charge of Steinholdt to differ with Urias Clergy as to what laws are just and with whom they should stand. As such, worship of Urias is allowed, but monitored.
Shrines to Innaula can be found in most taverns and places of gathering throughout the city, though no formal temple has taken root. Despite this, her clerics often find warm welcome and are treated to hospitality few other visitors to Steinholdt receive.
While no shrines are permitted within the barracks or other state buildings, it is not uncommon for those in the Steel Guard who are venturing outside the walls to carry symbols of Hailyn on their person.

Notable Figures and Organizations

Henrick Nygaard: Current First Officer. Henrick was born to two denizen parents. He lied about his age on his sixteenth birthday to enlist for his Commitments. He served with distinction both in the mines and with the Steel Guard, earning his first promotion at 19. His stern demeanor and ability to readily make hard decisions makes him appear cold, but he cares deeply for his city and lives to see it thrive. Henrick became the youngest First officer at the age of 39 and has served tirelessly for the past 11.
Cartha Huglow: Master smith famed for her innovations in shield design. She has twice in her time as the Heart Master redesigned the shield that the Steel Guard carry on patrol. Because of her alone, many more sons and daughters of the city return home safely from their Commitments of Steel.
Steel Guard: While all aspects of Steinholdt citizenship is military service, the Steel Guard consists of the men and women who don the weapons and armour churned out in The Deeps to put their lives on the line in defence of the city. They act as the internal policing force as well as patrolling the lands outside the walls, specifically along the causeway. They are among the most disciplined and well equipped fighting force in Ashal. To gain their citizenship, all citizens have served at least one year in the Steel Guard, giving them a strong bond to each other and to the city itself.

Major Landmarks

Kaatra’s Vigil: A 20 foot tall statue over the city’s main gate of the Guard Captain who lead the survivors of Degaz to Steinholdt and fought bravely to give them a place to survive.

Main Gate: The primary gate to the city stands 10 meters high beneath Kaatra's Vigil. It is made primarily of stone and reinforced by Mountain Bone, the rare and incredibly hard metal, mined only in Steinholdt. The massive Mountain Bone doors rarely stand fully open save for when a legion of Steel Guard or a foreign delegate are passing through. Instead, Caravans and the daily foot traffic pass through the smaller sally ports to either sides in a tightly controlled and orderly fashion during day light. In an emergency, the sally ports can be sealed shut from above with stone slabs at a moment's notice. Winches allow these slabs to be lifted again once the threat has passed.

Causeway: Originally built by Degaz as a way of accessing the mountains beyond the frigid marshland, the Steinholdt Causeway is now the primary and safest route of access to the city. In the years since Steinholdt has made the transition from mining colony to proper Sovereignty, the city has made the Causeway's maintenance and security a top priority. Often considered by citizens to be an extension of the city itself, it is closely guarded. Access to foreign convoys is granted for a toll.

The Heart: The primary foundry and forge in The Deeps, this workshop is the only one in the city where the furnaces never run cold. In true Steinholdt fashion, The Heart is a feat of turning a tragedy into opportunity. In the days of the mining colony, a shaft was flooded by magma and left abandoned until the Degazi engineers found a way to use it to their advantage in their hour of need. During Kaatra's stand, it was this forge that churned out the mass amounts of equipment that kept the refugees alive and safe, earning it's endearing title as the Heart of the city.

The Tin Whistle: The largest tavern in the Outer City and only place open for non-denizens and citizens alike to stay. While Steinholdt is, generally speaking, a comparatively reserved atmosphere, the revelry from the Tin Whistle can be heard throughout the Outer City right up until the enforcement of curfew.

Hall of the First Officer: The highest structure in The Heights, the hall serves as the operational command post for the city as well as the First Officer’s personal quarters. Everything about the hall is designed with function first and foremost. It is, technically speaking, lavish enough to receive foreign delegates in a respectable manner. But even an untrained eye can recognize that its ability to withstand a siege and keep its occupants safe is its primary purpose.

Economy

Steinholdt's economy depends heavily upon its many mines and the foundries and forges that process the raw materials extracted from them. No other city is able to turn out as much iron as the northern Sovereignty and Steinholdt boasts the finest smiths in all of Ashal in no small part to this fact. Steinholdt also provides a number of specialty metals, chiefly mountain bone, an extremely hard and dense metal found only in the deepest reaches of the mines. The process of refining it into its usable form is a jealously guarded trade secret of which little is known except that all mountain bone passes through The Heart to be smelted down.
Metal weapons and armour crafted in Steinholdt is known throughout Ashal for its uncompromising quality. Though more utilitarian in appearance than those of say Erule or Carcassim, their effectiveness to their designed purpose is unparalleled
To their notable chagrin, Steinholdt is largely dependent on imports of grain and produce from Erule (and to a lesser extent Salvoss) to sustain its population. Keenly aware of this reliance and how quickly catastrophe can fall upon a city, there is an entire wing of Steinholdt’s logistics branch dedicated to tracking and storing enough food to keep every citizen inside the walls fed for a year should they ever be cut off from the world. Thankfully, their cold climate lends itself well to this sort of stockpiling.

Customs and Observed Holidays

First Dawn: The holy day of Urias is a state holiday and one of the few where The Deeps is quiet and still. Festivals are held in the squares of the Outer City to celebrate the achievements of the past year and embarking together into the next. It is also the only time the rigid hierarchy of the city’s chain of command loosens and protocols surrounding interactions between ranks largely fall to the wayside allowing the lowest ensign to freely mingle with even the First Officer.

Woenweal: The first and final days of the year, holy days of the sister gods Ashia and Illia, is one of the most observed holidays in Steinholdt by all levels of its people. It is customary on the final day of the year to purge oneself of things deemed to be unnecessary. These are cast down to make room for new things to take their place and setting these new goals is traditionally done on the following first day of the new year.

Harvestyne: Though not a formal holiday in Steinholdt most households will privately celebrate the holiday of Innaula by importing whatever luxurious food and drink they can afford and hosting parties with friends and family.

Founding Day: Marking the day that Kaatra planted the flag of fallen Degaz’s City Guard on the walls above Steinholdt proclaiming it the hope and future of its surviving people. Although the day is technically one where people are released from their usual duties, it is customary for citizens to volunteer for civic services such as mending the city’s walls, roads, cleaning out state buildings and the like. It is a holiday celebrating Steinholdt’s dedication to perseverance and growth through hard work.

External Relations

Freelands: There’s a lot to respect about those who look to carve out a life from themselves in the dangerous Freelands of Ashal, those looking to establish towns and villages, or even just maintain a homestead. Steinholdt is young enough to remember that fight to survive and see a certain kinship (if perhaps slightly patronizing sometimes) with ‘good and honest’ people trying to band together and claim a portion of the world for themselves. Offering assistance to Freelanders, so long as it doesn’t risk Steinholdt's interests, is not altogether rare.
Carcassim: The Carcassimi are practitioners of blood magic and would as soon cut your throat to fuel one of their spells as shake your hand. There is little understanding and even less trust for the people of the southern city in the sands and its people.
Erule: Pompous and self-centered. Erule is a city founded by people who cared for very little beyond how they might add more silver to their purse, and it’s only gotten worse over the centuries. Perhaps one in ten of their vaunted knights could actually live up to what they’re constantly boasting about, but even then you’d never be able to tell by their weapons and armour that look like they’ve never even been outside.
Hagea: Holding the title of oldest Sovereignty in Ashal suggests they’re doing something right, but the land around your city typically doesn’t fall into the sea for no good reason. They are good enough people if not constantly distracted by their abstract pursuits. The results of the Academies are impressive, but it doesn’t matter how high you climb if you walk off a cliff because you weren’t keeping an eye on where you were going.
Salvoss: Their grit and determination to carve out an existence in a land so dangerous is something to be respected. Theirs are the only fighters who might be able to match the Steel Guard, one-on-one anyway. They’re their own worst enemy with their lack of structure and adherence to individualistic codes amounting to survival of the fittest.

Martiality

Every citizen of Steinholdt has earned that title through military service; each one of them is capable of taking up a shield in defense of their city. The active fighting force of Steinholdt, the Steel Guard, accounts for about a quarter of the city’s population at any one time. As their name would suggest, the Steel Guard train with a heavy emphasis on defensive tactics and favour the use of disciplined shield formations to weather anything their foes might throw at them. Steinholdt’s wealth in iron and other metals combined with its skilled blacksmiths ensures that while the Steel Guard may not be the largest army in Ashal, it is man-for-man the best equipped.

Culture

Founded on the principles of duty, sacrifice, and loyalty, the people of Steinholdt are pragmatic, resolute and stoic. The citizens of the Sovereignty have a strong connection with their city and feel a personal responsibility for doing what they can for its continued existence and prosperity, often prioritizing those duties above personal wants. Individualism, while not discouraged, is seen as a luxury to be pursued only once one’s responsibilities to the city are adequately met.
The terms for gaining one’s citizenship in Steinholdt builds and reinforces this sense of connection to the city. All persons who are born in the city upon reaching adulthood may decide to undertake the Commitments of Stone and of Steel. The former is a term of service in the mines working in the dark depths to pull the ore from the ground or the foundries producing the metals that feeds Steinholdt’s economy. The latter is a term of training and service as part of the Steel Guard where they will learn the discipline and tactics required to keep the city safe. Upon completing their Commitments, the person is granted citizenship and assigned to a post befitting their skills. Those who opt not to undertake the Commitments may be granted denizen status if they.
There is a small subset of the population consisting of outsiders that have been granted a limited form of citizenship known as denizens. These people are often clergy members, merchants, and independent craftsmen who bring valuable skills or services to the city. They are prohibited from owning land and are limited to renting only in the Outer City. Because they do not possess a rank they have no ability to rise in the military-political hierarchy.

History

Steinholdt was founded as a mining colony under the former Sovereignty of Degaz 82 years prior to its fall. The mines, and subsequent foundries, quickly became Ashal's primary source for mass quantities of iron as well as a rare and uniquely hard metal known as Mountain Bone. The colony hosted a modest, but rotating population and workforce with only a few dozen permanent residents consisting mostly of administrative staff. The colony, by way of mining off shoot, also became a significant quarry and source of good quality stone. Given it’s dangerous location and abundance of strong building supplies, its defenses came to rival that of even the sovereign cities.
Modern day Steinholdt was birthed in the Talim Crisis and the fall of its parent city Degaz. The Degazi Captain of the Guard, Kaatra Foleras led what remained of the city’s military and citizens to the heavily fortified mining outpost believing it to be their best chance at surviving the calamity. She and her fellow guardsman, with the aid of Steinholdt’s towering stone walls, held out against the near endless tides of horrors looking to consume them and everyone within for months until the enemy finally stopped coming. Having no home to return to, the refugees of Degaz looked to Steinholdt as their new home, capitalizing on its natural gifts under Kaatra’s guidance.
In the near century and a half since, the Steinholdt of old has been transformed by its loyal and determined citizens into a proper Sovereignty. The handful of structures outside the entrance to the mountain have swollen to number in the hundreds and even more buildings have been carved into the mountain walls along snaking ridges. The mines wind their way seemingly without end through the mountains and the Deeps ring and boom with the dauntless sound of picks and hammers.

Geography

Steinholdt is built at the foot of the first true mountains of the snow capped Rime Ranges in the north of Ashal. The tundra outside its great stone walls never truly thaws and it is not uncommon for there to be snow squalls even during the summer months. Further to the south, the frozen moors give way to a boggy marshland which spans the entirety of the entrance to the valley in which Steinholdt rests. Back in the days when the city was little more than a mining colony of Degaz, a causeway was constructed though it to offer faster and safer travel. One of the main responsibilities of the Steel Guard is to patrol and maintain this vital artery to and from the city.
The city itself is divided into three main sections, The Outer City, The Heights, and The Deeps. The Outer City, as the name would suggest, is the section built out in front of the mountain but behind Stenholdt’s curtain walls. This is the only section of the city to be made of primarily free standing structures and ones that feature timber as part of their construction. The population here is primarily private denizens as well as low ranking enlisted personnel and their families. While there isn’t a significant amount of economic disparity between any of the districts, it is the poorest of them.
The Heights consists of the multi-tiered city streets and houses built into the side of the mountain itself. Home to the officers and high ranking enlisted of Steinholdt, the houses here look out over the Outer City and the tundra beyond. Heated via vents from the furnaces in The Deeps, these residences are warm all year round despite their freezing location.
The Deeps are the living heart of Stenholdt. Home to the vast mines, foundries, and forges, it is the lynch pin of the city’s economic and military power. The industries of The Deeps never halt with miners and craftsmen serving months long terms of service. These men and women can go weeks at a time without seeing the sun. All residence in The Deeps is temporary however, and when their term is up, they will be reassigned to housing in The Outer City or The Heights to spend their leave until their next term begins.